Dr Jake Monk Kydd discusses the benefits of coaching for individuals and to organisations.

While not being known as a prescribed antidote to all the ills of the workplace, coaching and mentoring is gaining more recognition as a useful and non-adversarial approach for helping people to overcome issues in their professional and their personal lives. 

As part of the CCCU Coaching team, perhaps coaches should all be wearing hoodies with COACH emblazoned across the front and back to raise our profile at the workplace, we have seen positive feedback from colleagues that have engaged in one-off coaching session and those who have benefitted from several coaching sessions. This has never been more true than during times of change.

Change always brings uncertainty, and uncertainty can bring fear, poor morale, and low motivation. This is quite understandable and a completely expected response, but it doesn’t have to be that way. This is where coaching can help.

Coaching can assist individuals in a myriad of ways. In changing and interesting times (which can be blessing and not just a curse) uncertainty can result in a sense of a loss of control, a loss of job satisfaction, or a decline in commitment towards a project or the organisation. There may alternatively be issues surrounding communications within a team or with colleagues elsewhere. These issues and many more do not just arise during times of change of course.

While some tradition and organisationally orientated coaching is understandably focussed on leadership and how it can be improved, especially useful to dispel any lingering myths about infallible leaders who may at times need some support themselves, there are many things to recommend coaching to people in a full range of roles.

Research has shown that the majority of those engaged in coaching report an increase in their self-confidence, a major step in dispelling those insidious feelings of imposter syndrome. In addition to this many also report an increase in work satisfaction and enhanced communication. It should be of no surprise that coaching can also give people the tools to effectively reflect and act on their own development with goals that they have set.

This approach can create a fundamental shift in how people approach work and the challenges that it brings. Is it a cure for all ills? The answer is of course, no. End results will often show though a marked change in people with the time and effort expended in coaching being significantly repaid.

An increase in self-confidence can enable people to be more assured, resilient, empowered, and also enjoy their working life more. It may alternatively encourage them to pursue new goals, or overcome obstacles or challenges. There are some for whom it will not be of assistance, but there are many for whom it will be invaluable as a source of inspiration and for others reassurance. Additionally for managers, it may result in a better understanding of their team and reveal or unlock latent skills and potential that would otherwise lie fallow.

Dr Jake Monk Kydd is a Senior Lecturer in the Christ Church Business School and a part of the CCCU coaching team.